Rocket Racer (Episode)
: Looking for another article with the name Rocket Racer? Check out the Rocket Racer disambiguation page. Rocket Racer is the fifth episode of season three. This episode introduces the characters Rocket Racer and Big Wheel. Plot Spider-Man pulls away from Felicia Hardy as she kisses him. Spider-Man tells Felecia that he can't have a girlfriend because it would put her in danger. At that moment a criminal called Big Wheel, uses a giant mechanical wheel, also called the Big Wheel, to break into a nearby bank. Big Wheel's henchmen then use jatpacks to fly into the bank and steal bags of money. As they got the money the Big Wheel began to roll down the street and into another bank. Felicia Hardy's apartment was nearby and Spider-Man heard the explosion and he web swung to the scene of the crime. As Spider-Man arrived he began to fight the jetpack henchmen on top of a roof. However, the Big Wheel was able to drive up the side of the building and tried to crush Spider-Man. However, Spider-Man was able to get away. A short while later a teenage skater named Robert Farrell was at a pharmacy and picked up some medicine for his mother mother. As Robert skateboards down the sidewalk he sees Spider-Man following the Big Wheel. Robert watches from a safe place as Spider-Man traps one of the thugs in his web. However, the thug is able to break free and as he leaves he accidentally drops the money he stole. Robert picks the money up but is quickly arrested by the police because they believed he stole it. At that moment Spider-Man ran out of web fluid and Big Wheel and his men were able to get away. Later that night Felicia Hardy and Ms. Farrell arrive at the police station. Felicia tells Ms. Farrell that the police must have made a mistake. However, Ms. Farrell tells Felicia that before he got involved in the Hardy Foundation's science program he was a criminal and feared that her son was turning back to his old ways. Felicia posts Roberts bail and as he is released from jail he explains to his mother that he didn't do anything. Robert then threatens to actually become a criminal to stick it to the police. However, Ms. Farrell yells at Robert and tells him that he won't become a criminal. The next morning Peter Parker goes to the Hardy Foundation Science Center which is where Peter volunteers as a science teacher. Peter then looks at Robert Farrell's science project involving gyroscopes. At that moment Felicia walks in and as Peter sees her he remembers the kiss she gave him while disguised as Spider-Man. Peter then asks Felicia on a date. However, Felicia turns him down and says that she is already seeing someone. A man named Jason Philips walks into the classroom and Felicia introduces him to Peter. She also tells Peter that Jason Philips is donating money to the science center. Jason then asks Felicia to have dinner with him which see accepts. Peter gets upset because he had just asked her on a date. Later that day Robert helps out his mother at their grocery store. Ms. Farrell tells Robert that he should go back to the science class at the Hardy Foundation. However, Robert tells his mother that she needs his help at the store a lot more. At that moment three thugs come in and demand Ms. Farrell give them protection money or else they would destroy it. The thugs then start to throw things around. As one of the thugs steals their money out of the cash register he tells Ms. Farrell that the next time they come she better have ten times that amount of money or else they will burn the store down. A little while later Peter arrives at the store to check on Robert. Robert then tells Peter that he doesn't need to go to the science center anymore because he needs to learn how to survive in the real world. Later that day Peter changes into his Spider-Man costume. As Spider-Man wings through New York City he thinks to himself that he must get Robert to realize that education is the key to survival. After work Robert goes skateboarding. As Robert skates down the sidewalk he accidentally bumps into a man. As the man drives off Robert follows him to a warehouse. Inside the warehouse Big Wheel meets with his men and congratulates them on the success of their latest heist. Big Wheel then tells his gang that their next target will be the Diamond District. Robert was able to sneak into the warehouse and stole some equipment from Big Wheel. However, unknown to Robert there was a security camera recording him. Robert then snuck into the Hardy Foundation Science Center and began to put together the equipment he found at the warehouse and made a jet-powered skateboard. Additionally when Robert got home he sewed together a costume. Ms. Farrell walked in and saw him sewing his costume but was unaware of what was really going on. That night Robert, calling himself Rocket Racer, test the jet-powered skateboard and used it and a rocket launcher to break into a jewelry store. Rocket Racer began to use his new equipment to steal the jewelry and believed that this would solve all their problems. However, Rocket Racer remembered that his mother said if he ever became a criminal it would destroy her. Rocket Racer realized that what he was doing was wrong. However, Rocket Racer tripped the silent alarm and the police arrived. As Rocket Racer escapes on the jet-powered skateboard J3 Communications catches him on camera and broadcast it over live news. Spider-Man sees the news report and believes that he is part of the Rocket Raiders gang he has been tracking. As Spider-Man finds Rocket Racer he follows after him. As Rocket Racer drives the skateboard up the side of a building he accidentally falls off the skateboard and his magnetic boots attach themselves to the bottom of an elevator that is on the outside of the building. Rocket Racer is unable to turn off the magnets in his boots and fears that he will be crushed when the elevator reaches the ground. Spider-Man arrives and tries to use his spider strength to stop the elevator but fails. However, Spider-Man is able to crawl into the elevator and press a button to shut it down. Rocket Racer is then able to detach himself from the elevator and is able to get away. However, Ms. Farrell watches the J3 Communications news report and recognizes that Rocket Racer is Robert. Rocket Racer then rides off on his jet-powered skateboard and Spider-Man follows after him. Back at the warehouse Big Wheel realizes that the jet-powered skateboard he invented was missing and looked at the footage from the security camera. Big Wheel recognizes Robert Farrell as the teenager that the police arrested after after he was caught with some of the stolen cash they had dropped. Big Wheel then decides that Rocket Racer must be killed before the police force him to reveal where he got the rocket technology. Cast Cameos *Rocket Raiders Locations *Earth-92131 :*New York City ::*Felicia Hardy's apartment ::*National Bank ::*Bank ::*Pharmacy ::*Police precinct ::*Hardy Foundation ::*Farrell's Grocery ::*Warehouse ::*Jewelry store ::*J3 Communications ::*Hotel Excelsior construction area Items *Big Wheel *Jetpacks *Web shooters *Jet-Powered Skateboard *Rocket Launcher Continuity *This episode picks up directly where Enter the Green Goblin left off. Trivia *This episode is loosely based on The Amazing Spider-Man #172 (1977) and The Amazing Spider-Man #182 (1978). In both issues Spider-Man faces Rocket Racer and Big Wheel. *This episode and The Spot are considered by most fans to be the two worst episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. *A J3 Communications reporter states that the hotel Spider-Man and Rocket Racer fight at is called Hotel Excelsior. Excelsior was the word Stan Lee used to sign off of his soapboxes. Excelsior is a Latin word that means ever upward. Episode review Quotes "What's wrong?" "I'm sorry Felicia but this just isn't going to work. Spider-Man can't have a girlfriend. It'd be too dangerous. For both of us." "I know. Even so I had to let you know how I feel." : '-Felicia Hardy & Spider-Man' "Accurate timing is a thing of beauty." : '-Big Wheel' "I thought I'd seen everything but this really takes the cake!" : '-Spider-Man' "Yes ladies and gentlemen it's Robert "The Rocket" Farrell slashin' up the sidewalk! Will the curb be a problem? No way! He too stoped to be stopped! Radical aerial! The crowd goes wild! He swings the stairs like a pro! And then for the grand finale. . . : '-Robert Farrell' "Gotcha you flying flakes!" : '-Spider-Man' (One of the thugs with a jetpack flies a few inches over Spider-Man's head.) "Felt the breeze on that one!" : '-Spider-Man' "The cops can handle him. I've got a bigger fish to catch." : '-Spider-Man' "The cops can handle him. I've got a bigger "Blast! What a lousy time to run out of webbing! No extra cartridges! No captured bad guys! For this I left Felicia?" : '-Spider-Man' "I tried to tell them I didn't do anything but they think I'm a thief. Maybe that's just what I otta do. Then I'd show them!" "No son of mine is going to become a criminal! It would destroy me Robert. Don't ever talk that way son. Don't even think that way." : '-Robert Farrell & Ms. Farrell' "Friend? Unbelievable. As long as she's in love with Spider-Man that's all Peter Parker will ever be. Now I'm competing with myself!" : '-Peter Parker' "I seem to be striking out all over these days." : '-Peter Parker' "He's making a big mistake if he thinks education isn't a key to survival. There's got to be someway I can make him understand that." : '-Spider-Man' "The credo I live by as a master thief is the same one I believed in when I was an aeronautical engineer. Timing is everything. Fortunately I gave up government work just in time to use this top secret technology for more lucrative ventures." : '-Jackson Weele' "Everyone wants me ti get back into science. Cool. I'm with that. But this time it's going to pay." : '-Robert Farrell' (Spider-Man presses a button to stop an elevator before it can crush Rocket Racer.) "I never realized this finger was so powerful." : '-Spider-Man' "Farrell. We've got to eliminate him before the police make him reveal where he got his technology. My technology." : '-Big Wheel' Category:A-Z Category:Season 3 episodes Category:Episodes Category:The Sins of the Fathers